Country Club Bakery


Country Club Bakery, located in Fairmont, West Virginia, USA, is a small family owned bakery that is significant because it is the home of the pepperoni roll. The bakery is located on Country Club Road, but the original bakery was located on Robinson Street. The pepperoni roll is a snack popular in West Virginia and some nearby regions of the Appalachian Mountains. Ubiquitous in West Virginia, but typically little known elsewhere, it is arguably the food most closely associated with the state. The first pepperoni rolls were created at the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia by Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro at the Country Club Bakery in Fairmont in 1927, some argue that it was not invented until the 1940s, but no one disputes that they originated at the Country Club Bakery. Fairmont, West Virginia, claims the title of "Pepperoni Roll Capital of the World."

Pepperoni Rolls

The rolls originated as a lunch option for the coal miners of north-central West Virginia in the first half of the twentieth century. The pepperoni roll bears a resemblance to the pasty and sausage roll, which originated in the mining communities of Great Britain, as well as to the Italian calzone. All these foods allow a miner on a break from a tiring and dirty job to eat a full meal with a minimum of fuss. Pepperoni and other Italian foods became popular in north-central West Virginia in the early 20th century, when the booming mines and railroads attracted many immigrants from Italy.